WA State, NO NEW PRISONS CAMPAIGN

From:  Mariah Mitchell
No New Prisons Coordinator
Justice Works!
206.312.8299

Please join us in a preliminary meeting to begin
planning to stop prison expansion in Washington State

No New Prisons Campaign

Monday, December 11, 2006
6:30pm-8:30pm

2111 E. Union St, Seattle, WA 98122
Light snacks, desserts and refreshments will be
provided

We will be building on alternatives to incarceration.

 Hear from others who are interested in preventing
prison expansion. Do a power analysis to help us understand our
challenge by:

Identifying key players, policy makers, decision
makers and systems on both sides of the prison expansion agenda.

Continue the struggle for justice.


Lastly, I want to encourage everyone who will not be
able to participate to call or e-mail others who are
interested in attending and spread the word wherever
you can.

No New Prisons Agenda (WA State Level)

   1. Introductions
   2. Meeting goals
         1. Good understanding of factors influencing
prison expansion
         2. Preliminary campaign plan based on above
understanding
         3. Preliminary team outreach
   3. Brief overview of research / statistics on WA
State prison system

         1. Current prison system stats
         2. Prison expansion project currently in
progress
         3. Future planned prison expansion
   3. Do power analysis as INPUT to campaign planning
         1. What is our agenda?  What is their agenda?
         2. Define major economic, political and/or
social conditions that impact
         3. Identify / assess decision makers over
prison expansion
         4. Identify / assess major organized
opposition
         5. Identify / assess organized groups and
allies in support
         6. Identify / assess groups of people or
communities most affected
   4. Develop a preliminary campaign plan to stop
prison expansion
         1. What actions support decision makers who
are allies?
         2. What actions block decision makers who are
foes?
         3. What can be done to counter work of
organized opposition?
         4. What can be done to support the work of
allies?
         5. What can be done to assure that those most
affected are involved?
         6. What types of public education are needed?
         7. What areas of the state need the most
attention?
         8. What materials are needed to support our
agenda? (I.E.: research, position papers, poster,
flyers, media work, banners, etc.)
         9. Who is interested in participating in this
campaign?
        10. Who else could we invite?
   5. Set date for next meeting for follow up and
results (once a month)
   6. Comments
   7. Adjourn

ABCF Warchest- A Gift That Truly Means Something

While you can spend your money on gift cards,
stocking-stuffers and presents, consider for second
that your money can also ensure consistent support for
those who really need your help. This year rather than
spending your money at the malls, give in to the
holiday spirit by supporting U.S Political Prisoners
and Prisoners of War (PP/POWs).

For the last thirteen years, the ABCF financially
assisted PP/POWs through the Warchest program. This
program is designed to send monthly checks to PP/POWs
who have been receiving insufficient, little, or no
financial support during their imprisonment. Since
its inception this program has raised nearly $46,000
for those prisoners in need. All funds raised go
directly to the political prisoners for which the
program is designed.

Do more than just say you support Political Prisoners.
This holiday season support the ABCF Warchest program.
Help us assist those who have struggled for you!

To donate or get more information about the ABCF
Warchest program, contact:

Philadelphia ABCF
P.O Box 42129
Philadelphia, PA 19101

Email: timABCF@aol.com

PA: Abu-Jamal case still stirs anger

December 3, 2006

Pennsylvania

Abu-Jamal case still stirs anger

It's been 25 years since Officer Daniel Faulkner was slain. He and the man
convicted have supporters meeting this week.

By Joseph A. Gambardello, Philadelphia Inquirer

Google "Mumia Abu-Jamal" and you'll get more than 1 million hits for sites
containing his name. For "Police Officer Daniel Faulkner," it's only 22,800.

Twenty-five years ago this week, at the corner of 13th and Locust Streets -
before the Internet became a household word - an exchange of gunfire that
left Faulkner dead and Abu-Jamal wounded linked the names of the two men
inextricably in the city's history.

The survivor was transformed into a revolutionary folk hero, an
international cause celebre; the dead man became a memory whose cause has
been taken up by supporters determined to ensure that his is more than a bit
part in a death-penalty drama still without a final act.

Both sides - those who are determined Abu-Jamal is innocent and those who
are equally determined that he is not - will gather again in Philadelphia
this week. Abu-Jamal's supporters will be here to protest; Faulkner's
supporters to rally for his widow, Maureen, who never remarried and now
lives in California.

There have been many twists and turns in last 25 years - witnesses recanted
or their accounts were discredited, another man "confessed" to being the
killer, and a federal judge overturned Abu-Jamal's death penalty, a decision
that is still before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

But one thing has not changed: In the eyes of the law, Abu-Jamal remains
guilty of killing Faulkner Dec. 9, 1981, shooting him in the back and then
once in the head after the officer wounded him with a bullet to the chest.

And somewhere in between the two sides in the case are those who feel that
Abu-Jamal did not get a fair trial but believe he did it.

The reasons why the case remains alive and is still being fought on the
Internet (Justice for Police Officer Daniel Faulkner vs. Free Mumia sites)
are varying and complex.

And because of them, there is a clash of perceptions about race, justice and
truth.

One thing that is clear is that Abu-Jamal was not a typical defendant. As a
teenager, he joined the Black Panther Party. He then became a radio reporter
of some renown whose African American colleagues elected him head of the
National Association of Black Journalists local chapter. But his radio work
fell off as he drifted toward the radical group MOVE.

His trial also was far from ordinary, with Abu-Jamal being regularly ejected
for disrupting the court, often in pressing his demand that he be
represented by MOVE founder John Africa before the mostly white jury.

Add to that the climate of suspicion at the time that the Philadelphia
police were racist and a brusque judge who became known for imposing death
sentences, and the ingredients were in place for a highly charged trial.

Finally, it was Abu-Jamal's death sentence that jelled international support
for him from left-leaning groups. He has been made an honorary citizen of
Paris and a street has been named after him in a Paris suburb.

In Philadelphia, however, support for Abu-Jamal is not that evident, except
among a few, including members of MOVE and those for whom opposition to the
death penalty is a driving force.

And since he was taken off death row five years ago, even international
attention has diminished.

For Maureen Faulkner, who has been steadfast in countering the arguments
made by Abu-Jamal's supporters, that also has had an effect.

"It's given me a normal life for a couple years," she said.

Joseph McGill, who prosecuted the case, said he believes most of those who
still support Abu-Jamal are part of what he called an "uninformed movement."

"The further you get away from Philadelphia, the less light that's shown on
it," he said. "The way they talk themselves out of considering the facts is
to say the facts are not true."

But his supporters argue the facts were fixed.

In court papers filed on Oct. 23, Abu-Jamal's lawyers assert that in 2000 a
court stenographer claimed that the original trial judge, Albert Sabo, was
overheard saying he was "going to help 'em fry the n-." Sabo, whose
courtroom actions and death sentences have been repeatedly questioned by
appeals courts, died in 2002.

Kemah Washington - whose late father and Episcopal activist, the Rev. Paul
Washington, called for a new trial for Abu-Jamal - said the passing of time
and the unchanging demands of life had made it "hard for people to focus" on
the case.

That, he said, did not mean that Abu-Jamal did not deserve another trial.

"Nobody can say he had a fair trial," said Washington, who has read the
trial transcript and believes Abu-Jamal is innocent.

The bare outline of the shooting goes like this:

At 3:45 a.m. on Dec. 9, 1981, Faulkner, 25, pulled over a green Volkswagen
driven by Abu-Jamal's brother William Cook in the 1200 block of Locust for
reasons still unknown.

A scuffle broke out. Abu-Jamal, 27, who was driving a cab at the time,
witnessed it from a parking lot on the corner and ran across the street.

Gunfire erupted, and when it was over, Faulkner had been shot in the back
and once in the face. Abu-Jamal was wounded in the chest, his licensed
.38-caliber handgun with five spent rounds at his feet.

Witnesses identified Abu-Jamal as the gunman at trial. The defense attempted
to make the case that another gunman shot Faulkner and fled.

McGill, now in private practice, thinks Abu-Jamal "got caught up in the role
he was playing" of a black revolutionary.

"He was much more involved in creating a role and creating an audience for
the trial at times then focusing on what would be best for him," the former
prosecutor said. "His whole focus was anti - anti-system, anti-government,
anti-judicial system."

McGill said he thinks Abu-Jamal could have been convicted of a lesser
homicide charge if he had waged a true defense.

That concerted defense did not come until 1995, when Abu-Jamal got a
post-conviction relief hearing with the same judge presiding.

But Abu-Jamal again lost and he later fired his attorneys, including noted
civil-rights lawyer Leonard Weinglass, who declined to comment for this
story.

In 2001, U.S. District Court Judge William Yohn Jr. revived the case by
overturning Abu-Jamal's death sentence, but disappointing both sides.

While he did not order a new trial, the judge directed that either Abu-Jamal
be sentenced to life or that prosecutors hold another death-penalty hearing
within 180 days.

District Attorney Lynne M. Abraham's decision to appeal stopped the 180-day
clock and the case remains before the federal appeals court, which has
deferred action while Abu-Jamal's lawyer pursues other appeals in state
courts.

On Friday, Maureen Faulkner will host a luncheon honoring Abraham at the
Union League with proceeds to go to a fund established in Daniel Faulkner's
name that awards scholarships to the children of Philadelphia murder
victims. On Saturday, Faulkner's family and friends will attend a Mass in
his memory in Philadelphia.

Also on Saturday, buses are scheduled to bring protesters from New York for
a march in support of Abu-Jamal from City Hall to the American Friends
Service Committee building at 15th and Cherry Streets.

---

Source : Philadelphia Inquirer

http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/pennsylvania/counties/p
hiladelphia_county/philadelphia/16149513.htm

“Today’s terrorist is tomorrow’s freedom fighter.”
— SHAC leader Kevin Kjonaas, at the Animal Rights 2002 convention

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stateyourcause/


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StopNightmareDogIndustries/


http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/hlssucks

Update and Appeal from Jaan Laaman

Seasons greetings sisters and brothers,
I'm writing to circulate this update Jaan wrote recently, and is also
published in issue 8 of his online zine, 4Struggle Mag
(www.4strugglemag.org). Please keep Jaan and all political prisoners in
your thoughts and actions this winter. Take some time to organize a
benefit, send a holiday contribution to the fund or write Jaan a holiday
card. The 'Free Jaan Laaman' t-shirts are still available in various
sizes, and make a great gift. His contact info is below. Also, we've
started a Jaan Laaman Legal Freedom Fund email newsletter. If you'd like
to subscribe, please reply to this email. Thanks.

Freedom is a constant struggle,
Dominic
JLLFF

*************************************************************************************************************************

A Fall '06 Update and Appeal from Jaan Laaman, Ohio 7 Political Prisoner

To all my friends, 4strugglemag readers, and fellow peace, justice and
revolutionary activists,

Let me update my legal situation. I am still at Walpole, Massachusetts
state prison, where I recently began my 23rd straight year of captivity.
I am the last Ohio 7 person, with a release date, who is still locked
up. My Ohio 7 comrade Tom Manning is also still in prison, doing a life
sentence without a real parole date.

Last year I discovered a possibility of reopening and challenging my
Mass case. If I can overturn this, I would be overdue for parole
eligibility and release on my federal sentence. Of course any legal
effort is a huge uphill battle, especially for political prisoners. This
is a real possibility though and the first appeal I am even hopeful
about, as well as determined to win. I need good and committed legal
representation to fight this appeal. The state has refused to assign me
an attorney. No government agency wants to assist me in gaining justice
and freedom. My defense is totally in my hands and the hands of the
people now.
Early this year, I established a Legal Freedom Fund and began raising
funds for my fight for justice and freedom. Thankfully some people have
stepped forward and supported me, especially family and close
associates. I still need to raise some thousands of dollars and I am
asking for your help now.

This is my first effort at fund raising for my own legal defense, and
though I feel pretty awkward asking for your help like this, it is
necessary and I must do it. My Freedom Fund is staffed by a few sincere
volunteers and all proceeds go directly towards defense expenses and
lawyers. This is a one time legal effort which will be resolved one way
or the other in the next year or two. Of course my hope and intention is
to overturn my case, prove my innocence and finally join my now 25 year
old son and family and all of you outside again.
I really need your help to do this now. Checks can be made out to:

Jaan Laaman Legal Freedom Fund
and send them to:

Jaan Laaman Legal Freedom Fund
P.O. Box 681
East Boston, MA 02071

I am encouraging groups and organizations to hold fundraisers, parties
and other events to support my fight for freedom. You can contact
Dominic at the Freedom Fund P.O. Box or write to me, to discuss such
efforts.

Seriously consider helping me now and thank you for your suppport.

FREEDOM IS A CONSTANT STRUGGLE! Jaan - Nov, 2006

Jaan Laaman (W87237)
P.O. Box 100
South Walpole, MA 02071

ALF in Italy / Fur store closes in Portland

ALF Rescue 1,000 Mice and 18 Primates in Italy

Friday, December 01 2006

Some buildings may seem like they are impossible to raid, but only a few really are. Harlan Italy is one of these buildings, a hand full of alarms and security cameras in via Fermi, in Correzzana (MI). Inside this place they breed animals for vivisection. Harlan is one of the major breeders for Italian research labs, part of a multinational dealing in suffering, with divisions in many countries around the globe. Harlan Italy's annual income of 7 million euros is a clear statement: vivisection is a lucrative business.

Knowing that mice, dogs, monkeys, pigs, rats, rabbits and guinea-pigs were in the cages, in complete loneliness, without any sympathy or hugs, waiting to be deported towards a future of torture, is what moved us into action.
The night of Monday 20th of November, a cold and moonless night, as silent as shadows we reached our target, a gruesome monument to human callousness. Through a hole in the ventilation system room we gained access to the false ceiling.

Lifting portions of the false ceiling and using a stair we found ourselves in the rooms where mice and monkeys are bred, going past the alarm system on the doors. Here we set ourselves at work to bring out as many animals we could, take documents and well you can guess the rest.

Harlan rodents are bred under SPF conditions, which means aseptic ones: dozen plastic boxes under a filtered air system. What they do to these small living beings is pure sadism and is at odds with the idea of humanity saviours they built for themselves. In this division Harlan offers their customers also a surgical preparation of the animals: organ removal or mutilations.

Moreover, we also documented the presence in their refrigerators of bodies that the fury of these "scientists" have made impossible to recognise: mice with smashed skulls or crucified with pins, rats with opened abdomens and completely disfigured rabbits.

In a crowded bare cage, full of faeces and with no window, about thirty macaques were looking for comfort, clinging one to the other, traumatized and unhappy. But tonight these animals have met the opposite side of human beings and felt the warm embrace that took them away, far away. Hundreds of mice, many ready to be delivered, and 18 macaques are now in our hands, free.

Fronte di Liberazione Animale



Fur store says it's had enough

Downtown - Hounded by protesters and citing safety issues, Schumacher is pulling out of Portland after 111 years

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

SPENCER HEINZ and SETH PRINCE
The Oregonian

Schumacher Furs & Outerwear, after 111 years of business and one solid year of fervent animal-rights protests, is hanging it up in Portland.

Owner Gregg Schumacher, who depicts the city's core as dangerous and not conducive to retailers, said Tuesday that he's moving his shop to the suburbs, though he wouldn't say where.

"We're leaving downtown Portland because we feel that it's losing its appeal for people to shop in" said Schumacher, 51, rattling off a list of what he called his customers' complaints. "The panhandling, the musicians on the street, the urination in the parking garages. Yes, the protests. But the whole place is not conducive to running a retail operation."

Officials from City Hall to the Portland Business Alliance, while making it clear they're sad to see downtown lose any merchant, particularly such a longtime institution, called Schumacher's claims, in effect, bunk.

They pointed to recent commitments by Macy's and Nordstrom to revitalize their downtown stores. More broadly, Schumacher's comments stand in stark contrast to what many view as a thriving downtown, from the recent maturing of the Pearl District to the start of a projected $2 billion South Waterfront district.

City Commissioner Randy Leonard, who said he'd offered to help Schumacher and his wife, Linda, after the protests started last November, recalled how quickly he came to regret the move.

"I honestly had never been involved in anything in which I felt like the folks I was trying to help did not want to be helped," Leonard said.

"The Schumachers carry at minimum -- at minimum -- equal responsibility for what happened outside their store," Leonard said. "I think the case could be made they did what they could to fan the flames at every opportunity."

As vice president of downtown services for the business alliance, Mike Kuykendall has been intimately involved in working with the Schumachers in the past year. But he balked at Gregg Schumacher's description of downtown.

"It's unfortunate Mr. Schumacher has been the target of this group, and it's a shame that it happened," he said. He cited a poll last year in which 94 percent of members of the downtown business improvement district called the area safe or very safe.

In some ways, what's played out the past year at Southwest Ninth Avenue and Morrison Street has been a faceoff of sorts of Portland's past and present. On one side there are the high-end shoppers who frequent a boutique where most items range from $900 to $7,000, and a sable coat can set you back $150,000. On the other are the activists who take up causes large and small to, in their minds, make the world a better place.

Portland police said the protests, which have resulted in 13 arrests since last December, usually involved eight to 12 people on Saturday afternoons. Last Friday, however, about 200 activists with a parade permit started at the storefront, worked their way up Morrison, back down Yamhill and then back in front of the store. After disbanding, some stuck around to protest for hours. Police reported no incidents from the march.

Mike Reese, commander of Central Precinct, said the demonstrations have strained police resources. "We're always on minimum staffing, so I'm almost always hiring them on overtime," he said, offering a calculation that would put total police cost around $25,000.

As Northwest outreach coordinator for In Defense of Animals, Matt Rossell became the public face of the weekly protests in many ways.

He said some activists might view Schumacher's decision to leave the city limits by spring as a victory. His group, however, isn't satisfied.

"The message that has been delivered over the past year has been hugely successful . . .," Rossell said. "Possibly downtown Portland isn't a place for such an unfriendly-to-animal business to exist."

"I'm sure he'll try to present himself as a victim, as he always does," Rossell said of Schumacher. "The reality, though, is the animals are the victims, not Gregg Schumacher."

Spencer Heinz: 503-221-8072; spencerheinz@news.oregonian.com Seth Prince: 503-221-8172; sethprince@news.oregonian.com

http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf%3F/base/news/116478159947400.xml%26coll%3D7&itemid=
200611290659220.814231

REMINDER: December 3rd, Eugene: Benefit for Green Scare Defendants

Please forward to friends & interested contacts...

On Sunday, December 3rd, supporters of “Green Scare” defendants will host “For our Friends, For the Future,” a fundraising evening of speakers, film and music in Eugene, Oregon.

[Event posters: http://socialwar.net/.pdf%20files/D3benefitposter1.pdf
and: http://socialwar.net/.pdf%20files/eventposter2.pdf ]

When? Doors at 8PM, Sunday, December 3rd
(Speakers begin promptly at 8:30, then short films at 10PM and music at 10:30)
Where? Sam Bond’s Garage, 407 Blair Blvd (Eugene, OR)
What? Speakers Kristian Williams (author, American Methods: Torture and the Logic of Domination) and Lauren Regan (Civil Liberties Defense Center), music from Mood Area 52 and Peter Wilde, plus films and more!
How much? $5 - $50 suggested donation to benefit “Green Scare” defendants and grand jury resistance.

About the Event Speakers:
South End Press author Kristian Williams will travel from Portland to speak at the event. Kristian Williams is the author of American Methods: Torture and the Logic of Domination (2006) and Our Enemies in Blue: Police and Power in America (2004). He speaks widely about US state violence and human rights abuses domestically and abroad, and has published in a wide variety of national print and online venues, including CounterPunch, AlterNet.org, The Progressive, Dissent, LA Daily Journal, Columbia Journalism Review, In These Times, and the collection We Are Everywhere: The Irresistible Rise of Global Anti-Capitalism (2003). Williams is a member of Rose City Copwatch in Portland, Oregon.

Joining Kristian Williams is attorney Lauren Regan of the Civil Liberties Defense Center. She is a public interest attorney specializing in environmental law, civil rights and criminal defense. She is also the founder and executive director of the Civil Liberties Defense Center, a nonprofit organization that strives to protect and educate the public as to their civil liberties and constitutional rights. She has successfully represented political activists in both civil and criminal litigation. The Civil Liberties Defense Center assists activists in curtailing government encroachment upon their right to protest, defends activists in court, assists with political prisoner issues, and monitors current governmental attempts to restrict civil liberties and dissent.

About the Musical Performers:
Mood Area 52: Michael Roderick founded Mood Area 52 in 1998 as a Piazzola inspired neo-tango ensemble. Since then the group has incorporated Eastern European influences, original polyglot vocal material, and Waitsian cabaret tunes. The lineup has changed, but their emphasis on nuanced, nostalgic, and harmonically surprising music has remained consistent. Mood Area 52 has performed with Naim Amor, Chuck Palhnuik, The Damo Suzuki Network, Rasputina, The Tin Hat Trio, Slowpoke, Amy Denio, Devotchka, and many other national acts. More information: www.rocketboyarts.com/mood_area_52

Peter Wilde: Peter Wilde is an original folk performer and a Eugene, Oregon live favorite. In a sign of Peter’s songwriting skills and ever-growing influence, Number One Records has released the tribute CD, “Hold Me Up to the Light: A Tribute to Peter Wilde” featuring 29 of Peter’s songs performed by other artists. If you haven’t already checked out one of Peter Wilde’s powerful sets, don’t miss this opportunity! More information: www.peterwilde.net

Why this event? The Eugene event compliments an “International Day of Solidarity with Green Scare Indictees, Detainees, and Political Prisoners” organized by the website greenscare.org. The Eugene event takes place mere days before the one-year anniversary of the first arrests from the FBI “Operation Backfire” against environmentalists and animal advocates. That anniversary will be marked on four continents with solidarity events.

The term “Green Scare” refers to the federal government’s expanding prosecution efforts against animal liberation and ecological activists, which is strikingly similar to the “Red Scare” of the 1950s. The phrase is typically meant to include not just the cases from the “Operation Backfire” indictments, but also the cases of the SHAC7 (shac7.com), Eric McDavid (supporteric.org) and Rodney Coronado (supportrod.org), as well as recent repressive legislation such as the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, which attempts to turn activists into “terrorists.”

“On November 9, the last of the District of Oregon Backfire defendants took federal plea deals but refused to provide information on anyone else,” says one event organizer, “The government will attempt to put a ‘terrorist’ jacket on these compassionate people during sentencing. Briana Waters still faces serious federal charges in Washington State and asserts her innocence on all counts, while in Oregon Jeff Hogg was jailed from May 18 to November 15 for refusing to cooperate with a federal grand jury related to these cases. We refuse to deal with the latest repression in a piecemeal manner; we support those who are innocent, but we also support the ‘guilty,’ and all those who suffer repression without having been accused of any crime. This event is about coming together, standing by our friends and communities, and refusing to be intimidated into silence.”

All proceeds from this event will go directly to support Green Scare defendants and grand jury resistance.

This event also honors murdered journalist Bradley Will (1970-2006, see friendsofbradwill.org)

More “Green Scare” case information: cldc.org and greenscare.org

Further event information: femmemilitia@gmail.com

Police detective named 'Arson Investigator of the Year'

Published: Saturday, December 2, 2006
By Rebecca Nolan
The Register-Guard

A Eugene police detective who played a lead role in a six-year investigation of vandalism and arson committed by radical environmentalists throughout the West has been named Oregon's "Arson Investigator of the Year" by the International Association of Arson Investigators.
Detective Bob Holland has investigated many high-profile fires in his 10 years on the Eugene police arson investigation unit, an ad hoc team of about a half-dozen specially trained detectives.

Holland was nominated for the award by the team's supervisor, Eugene police Sgt. Terry Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick said the detective dedicated untold hours to the sweeping Operation Backfire investigation. The federal investigation netted more than a dozen people suspected of committing acts of vandalism and arson in the name of the Earth Liberation Front and the Animal Liberation Front.

Thirteen people have pleaded guilty to crimes related to the multistate investigation and are awaiting sentencing in federal court. Members of the group have been accused of firebombing three locations in Eugene between 1999 and 2001.
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"Without his dedication, energy and skill many of these criminals would still be free roaming our country," Fitzpatrick wrote in a nominating letter to the arson association. "Detective Holland is well deserving of Investigator of the Year."

The Eugene police team has a 35 percent clearance rate in arson cases, more than double the national average of 16.5 percent, the department said.

Holland has been with the Eugene Police Department for 25 years and also spent 10 years as a volunteer firefighter west of the city. Most of the time, he investigates property crimes for the police department. But when a suspicious fire breaks out, he quickly changes roles.

"I probably go out on a fire once a week," Holland said recently. "I listen to the fire channel (on the police radio) and respond to fires in progress just in case it's an arson. There's a lot you can learn watching how the fire is suppressed."

He said investigating arson allows him to combine his fire service experience with the gumshoe work of a detective, tracking leads and interviewing witnesses, victims and suspects.

He was on a team of detectives that helped track down two teenage boys later
convicted of firebombing a retired school administrator's vehicles in 2004.

In that case, forensic analysts were able to recover DNA evidence from the burned wick of the Molotov cocktail the boys had thrown at the administrator's cars, sparking a fire that destroyed one car and severely damaged another at the man's home.

"That had not been done before and was published in some scientific journals," Holland said. "Before then, the thought was that the fire and gasoline would have destroyed the DNA."

He also helped arrest two 14-year-old boys who started a fire that caused up to $500,000 in damage to North Eugene High School last year. "We had those guys in custody within a week," Holland said. Both were convicted.

He spent two straight weeks investigating a fire set Nov. 1 in a downtown Eugene apartment to cover up the slaying of 21-year-old Noah Paul Scott Thacker of Eugene. That case remains unsolved.

Holland said the award was especially significant because he was nominated and selected by his peers.

The recipient must show outstanding achievement and professionalism in the field of fire and arson investigation to be considered.

"It's an honor for a police officer to get it, because of the number of fires we investigate vs. the number of fires someone with the fire department investigates," he said.

Last year's award also went to a local investigator. Deputy Springfield Fire Marshal Brian Parmalee was given the honor in 2005 for his investigation of 13 arson fires set in that city's historic Washburn District. The investigation led to the arrest and conviction of the man responsible, who is now serving 7 1/2 to 15 years in prison.

PA: Mumia Abu-Jamal Keeps Resisting, as Supporters Find Hope in January Hearing

December 1, 2006

Pennsylvania
December 9th Events to Observe 25th Year of Mumia's Incarceration on Death
Row

Mumia Abu-Jamal Keeps Resisting, as Supporters Find Hope in January Hearing

The Mobilization to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal will be meeting on Saturday
morning, December 2nd, at 10:30am at 298 Valencia St. The Mobe will be
reporting on important news in the struggle to free Mumia, as critical oral
arguments will be presented in a hearing in the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals
early in 2007. At the meeting, plans will also be made for next February's
visit that Lynne Stewart and Center for Constitutional Rights President
Michael Ratner will make to the Bay Area. At events in Berkeley, San
Francisco, San Jose, and Palo Alto, they will raise funds and consciousness
for Mumia's and Lynne's legal and political defenses.

Michael Schiffmann's new book-- "Race Against Death. Mumia Abu-Jamal: a
Black Revolutionary in White America" was released in Germany this past
month. Schiffman is reportedly still trying to find a US publisher. The book
details information about a new witness and new evidence, and analyzes
various aspects of Mumia's case. Hans Bennett's interview and Essay

On Saturday, December 9th, people all over the world will mark the 25th year
of Mumia's incarceration. In the Bay Area, there will be several
opportunities to learn more about Mumia's case. In San Jose, there will be a
teach-In about Mumia from 10am-2pm at Temekula Gallery behind the
Pagesincolor.com store at 888 E Santa Clara St. Books and CD's by and about
Mumia will be available at two additional Bay Area events: at 2pm at Modern
Times Bookstore (888 Valencia), and at 7pm at the Berkeley Fellowship of
Unitarian Universalists, 1924 Cedar St. at Bonita.

On Friday, January 26th, 2007, a special event to commemorate Mumia's
resistance and 25 years of incarceration on death row will be held at 6:30
pm at Marcus Book Store, 3900 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way in Oakland. Guests
that evening will include Kiilu Nyasha, Revolutionary Journalist and former
Black Panther; JR, of Prisoners of Conscience Committee; and Rudy and the
United Playaz.

---

Source : SF Indybay

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/12/01/18334571.php

“Today’s terrorist is tomorrow’s freedom fighter.”
— SHAC leader Kevin Kjonaas, at the Animal Rights 2002 convention

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stateyourcause/


http://groups.yahoo.com/group/StopNightmareDogIndustries/


http://lists.riseup.net/www/info/hlssucks

"If you have come here to help me, then you are wasting your time…But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."
--Lila Watson

"Live in peace with the animals. Animals bring love
to our hearts, and warmth to our souls" -Colleen Klaum

"Secret prisons, secret flights, the CIA tramples human rights; reverse hanging, what gives? If that's not torture, what the fuck is?"

Update on December 7th Day of Solidarity

>Update on December 7:
> An International Day of Solidarity with Green Scare Indictees,
> Detainees, and Political Prisoners
>
> The term Green Scare refers to the Red Scares of the early twentieth
> century, made famous by the McCarthy hearings and the House Un-American
> Activities Committee. The Green Scare demonstrates a similar systematic
> criminalization of dissent as the U.S. government is using all its tactics
> (e.g., grand juries, specialized legislation, paid agents provocateurs) to
> target the radical environmental and animal rights movements, those who
> publicly support them, and others who struggle for a healthy, diverse
> eco-system and the rights of animals.
>
> On December 7th, 2005, the FBI made their first arrests of "Operation
> Backfire," a multi-state sweep targeting alleged Earth Liberation and
> Animal Liberation Front activists with charges of conspiracy and arson
> threatening them with life in prison. Elsewhere, the government has
> convicted organizers of the Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) campaign
> - a campaign that ultimately kept Huntingdon off the stock market and can
> take credit for the divestment of hundreds of their clients and investors.
> The SHAC 7 are currently serving up to 6 years for violating the "Animal
> Enterprise Protection Act" by operating a website. In Sacramento, Eric
> McDavid, waiting in solitary confinement for trial, faces up to 20 years
> for alleged thought crime. In 2001, Jeff "Free" Luers was convicted of
> damaging 3 Sports Utility Vehicles that were later restored and sold. He
> is currently serving his 6th year of a 22 year, 8 month sentence.
>
> This year, on December 7, people all over the world will be organizing and
> participating in events to raise awareness about the Green Scare and show
> solidarity with those targeted by it. Please organize an event in your
> area to support Green Scare Indictees and political prisoners.
>
> So far, we have 42 events confirmed in 29 cities! And more on the way!
>
> If your city isn’t listed below, act now and its not too late to organize
> an event for December 7th! To get ideas or support, please go to
> GreenScare.org. Remember, everything you do to support people who are
> targets of prosecution should be LEGAL and in their best interest. Many
> are in pre-trial or in an appeal process; please do not organize something
> that could jeopardize their cases. Further, if you are organizing events
> specific to targeted individuals, please contact their support committees
> before organizing rallies or fundraisers. You can find their contact
> information here or by emailing us. To let us know what events you have
> planned, please email us at greenscare@mutualaid.org. Thanks to everyone
> who is organizing against the Green Scare!
>
>
> --
>
>
> GreenScare.org
> Illuminating the New War on Dissent
>
>
>
> WEST COAST
>
> Eugene, Oregon (3 events)
>
> Sunday, December 3 - 8pm
> FOR OUR FRIENDS, FOR THE FUTURE
> A Benefit for Green Scare Defendants and Grand Jury Resistance
> Music: Mood Area 52 and Peter Wilde
> Speakers: Kristian Williams (Author: American Methods: Torture and the
> Logic of Domination, Our Enemies in Blue) and Lauren Regan (Civil
> Liberties Defense Center)
> · plus films, information tables, and more!
> Admission: $5 - $50 Sliding Scale.
> At Sam Bonds Garage
> 407 Blair Blvd.
> Contact: femmemilitia@gmail.com
>
> Friday December 8, 6 - 11pm
> All Ages Show to Benefit Joy and Nathan
> PIRATE RADIO
> STREETLIGHT CARDIACS
> THE WOBBLIES
> ADRENALINE JUNKIES
> UGLY LITTER
> THE USLESS FUCKING DERLICKS (ex stop sign go)
> THE BLIMP and maybe more
> Bring money as this is a benefit
> $5-$1,000 suggested donation
> ALL AGES @ THE FLOWER SHOP
> 2086 EAST 15TH (on the corner of E 15th and Walnut- 2 blocks from the PC
> Market on Franklin)
>
> Liberating Dissent: Refusing to be Silenced- A benefit for
> Green Scare defendants and Grand Jury Resistance

> When?
> Saturday Dec 9th, 6-11pm
> Where? Liberty Hall, 311 N Ivy Portland OR
> How Much? $7-$100 suggested donation to benefit
> non-cooperating "Green Scare" defendants and grand jury resistance
> Presentations by: Jeff Hogg - Grand jury resister
> imprisoned from May to November of 2006 for refusing to cooperate
> with a federal grand jury related to the green scare.;Paul
> Loney - Attorney to grand jury resister Jeff Hogg ;Updates and
> information on the Green Scare, the Shac 7 and grand ;jury
> resistance ;Performances by;The Rag and Bone Men -
> oldtimey dance tunes from the middle ages; Shickey Gnarowitz -
> Discordant dancy three piece klezmer;Tandemnation - melodic,
> screamy queer-core; Drunken Boat - raw energetic pop punk 
Nux
> Vomica - energetic fusion of metal/punk/crust; Also:
> Vegan food for sale, Vegan bake sale
> http://protest.net/pdxindymedia/index.cgi?span=event&ID=735531
>
> Portland, Oregon (2 events!)
>
> Wednesday, December 6th
> Two screenings of Your Mommy Kills Animals, a new documentary by filmmaker
> Curt Johnson who will be present at the screening for a Q & A session
> afterwards. $6 - all proceeds go to the SHAC 7
> At the Clinton Street Theater
> 2522 SE Clinton St.
> 7pm and 9pm
> More info: info [at] foodfightgrocery.com
> Saturday, December 9th
> at Liberty Hall - Details TBA
>
> Seattle, Washington
> Seattle in Solidarity with the Green Scare Targets!
> Prisoner Letter-Writing Party, Discussion/Networking, Good Food, & Good
> Times.
> December 7th 7-9pm
> at Araya's Vegetarian Restaurant(1121 NE 45th St)
> You don't have to bring anything except yourself! But please bring money
> if you
> want food (we'll be ordering off the regular Araya's menu), and paper,
> envelopes,
> stamps, pens, and cash to donate if you're able. Some supplies will be
> provided,
> and so will addresses and information about the targets of the Green
> Scare. Don't let us be silenced! Come support our friends in struggle and
> learn more about how we can help. For more information please contact
> melissaseyesonly@resist.ca
>
> Olympia, Washington
> Friday, December 8 Benefit Show at Solid Gold - 419 Boulevard Rd SE (at
> the corner of Pacific Ave. and Boulevard Rd. across from the shell
> station)
> Doors open at 7 pm, music and performance begins at 8 pm
> Suggested donation $5-20
> Performing:
> Bridget Irish (performance)
> Leonardo (soul, house dj)
> Myello (experimental dance electronics)
> Onyxoxo (acoustica + dj)
> Rachel Diamond, one lady band (!)
> Shizunomargot (songs, performance)
> Timezone Lafontaine (southern hip hop soulrock)
> and more!!!
> There will be free literature, merchandise and beverages for a donation,
> and an opportunity to learn more about the "Green Scare" and how to
> support earth liberation indictees, grand jury resistance, preserving
> civil liberties & building solidarity, and refusing the criminalization of
> dissent.
> This event is a benefit for Olympia Civil Liberties Resource, Books To
> Prisoners Olympia, and non-cooperating "Green Scare" indictees.
>
> SanFrancisco, California (3 events)
>
> Sunday, December 3rd
> Benefit for the 2nd Annual International Day of Solidarity with Political
> Prisoners & Green Scare Day of Action
> · Featured bands include Eskapo, Myth of Progress, Chest Full of Arrows,
> Slash & Burn, and more.
> · Speakers on the Green Scare, the Black Panther Grand Juries, Oaxaca/San
> Salvador Atenco (Mexico), the Philippines, Lebanon, and Palestine.
> · Art from local artists.
> $5-20 sliding scale with all proceeds going to political prisoners.
> Door 5pm/Show starts 5:30pm (sharp)
> At Balazo 18 Gallery
> 2183 Mission St.
> Contact: caps [at] riseup.net
>
> Thursday, December 7 - 7pm
> Letter writing and Film Screening Against the Green Scare
> Showing Sourcecode: Eco Dissent/Not Terrorism and The Lorax
> Snacks provided, donations accepted.
> At Station40
> 3030b 16th Street (across from 16th & Mission Bart Station)
>
> Friday, December 8th
> Green Scare Solidarity Action at the CAFE Infoshop, 935 F St. (at Tulare)
> in Fresno. There will be a green scare teach-in with letter writing, and
> performers such as Ryan Harvey and Marc Gunnery of the Riot Folk
> collective. Letter writing and the teach-in will begin at 5pm, with the
> show starting at 7:30pm.
>
> Santa Cruz (3 events):
> Weekend of Resistance in Solidarity with the Green Scare Indictees,
> Detainees, and Political Prisoners
>
> DAY ONE
> Thursday December 7, Location TBA
> Letter writing party and vegan potluck.
>
> DAY TWO
> Friday December 8 at the Resource Center for Non-violence:
> Film screenings and speakers illuminating how our rights are being
> lost through these cases and new legislation. All money raised will go
> towards defending activists in the new war on dissent.
> Featuring
> David Hayden--SF Grand Jury Resistor
> Benjamin Rosenfeld--Bay area attorney specializing in Civil Liberties,
> Grand Jury Resistance, and activist defense.
> Source Code: Eco-dissent/Not Terrorism
> A Voice for Liberation: Rod Coronado
> Refusing to Be Silent: Josh Harper
> Plus Green Scare Benefit Marketplace with relevant Books, zines,
> T-shirts, tote bags! Tons of great vegan refreshments.
> 7 PM at the RCNV: 515 Broadway (at Ocean St)
> Sliding scale donation $5-50, no one turned away for lack of funds.
>
> DAY THREE
> Saturday, December 9, Venue TBA
> A day of workshops and discussions beginning at 2 PM. Workshops will include:
> Prisoner Letter Writing 101
> Basic Security
> Responses to State Repression
> Dealing with Feds and Cops
> Proceeding Effectively with Environmental Campaigns
> In the evening, dinner will be provided by Food Not Bombs, with
> musical performances to follow - bands TBA.
>
> EAST COAST
>
> Jersey City, NJ
> Thursday, December 7th - 7pm
> Join us for a tea party (seriously!) complete with homemade vegan
> desserts, finger sandwiches provided by Foodswings and of course tea. Wear
> your daintiest tea party attire, or don't. $5-10 sliding scale - all
> proceeds go to environmental activist Daniel McGowan.
> At The Barracks Jukehouse
> 107 Magnolia Ave.
>
> New York City (4 events)
>
> Saturday, December 2nd
> Daniel McGowan Benefit Party!
> In preparation for the Dec. 7th, International Day of Solidarity Against
> the Green Scare, join us to help raise money for Daniel McGowan's
> continued legal costs.
> 9pm
> 84 Clinton Ave. Apt 1 (between Park and Myrtle in Clinton Hill)
> $5 Suggested Donation
> Two Floors and a Backyard worth of:
> Bands!
> DJ's!
> Delicious, Nutritious Homebrew!
> Food!
>
> DECEMBER 7th - TWO EVENTS IN NYC TO SUPPORT OUR LOCAL INDICTEE, FELLOW
> ORGANIZER, AND FRIEND, DANIEL MCGOWAN!
> ··· 12 - 2 PM Rally in Solidarity with Daniel McGowan, Foley Square
> ··· 6:30 PM Dinner and a Movie for Daniel Benefit, Time's Up!
> LUNCHTIME RALLY:
> We will hold a lunch time rally to show our support for Daniel in Foley
> Square on the one-year anniversary of his arrest. Please come on your
> lunch break, and bring your friends!
> Speakers
> Heidi Boghosian, Executive director of the National Lawyers Guild,
> Rachel Meeropol, Staff attorney at Center for Constitutional Rights
> Ashanti Alston, Co-chair of the National Jericho Movement
> Tim Doody from Family and Friends of Daniel McGowan.
> Endorsed by:
> National Lawyers Guild-National Office, National Lawyers Guild-NYC
> Chapter, Jericho Movement-New York Chapter, National Jericho Movement,
> Times Up!, Peoples Law Collective, NYC War Resisters League, Brooklyn
> Greens, NYC Students for a Democratic Society , Wetlands Activism
> Collective, Resistance in Brooklyn, New York Metro Alliance of Anarchists
> (NYMAA), NYC Industrial Workers of the World and Friends of Brad Will.
> DINNER AND A MOVIE:
> In the evening, Friends & Family will be hosting dinner and a movie
> benefit for Daniel at Time's Up! We will have dinner at 6:30, followed by
> an 8pm screening of The Lorax and Pom Poko (Raccoon War). There will also
> be a raffle with lots of nifty prizes and plenty of information on Daniel
> and other targets of the Green Scare. Suggested donation: $10; proceeds to
> benefit Daniel's legal defense.
> This should be a fun, informative day. We know that folks in New York have
> been incredibly supportive of Daniel, and we hope to see you on the 7th to
> help continue to build that support.
> Directions to Time's Up!:
> Time's Up is located at 49 E Houston St., between Mott and Mulberry. Take
> the 6 train to Bleecker St. or the B/D/F/V to Broadway/Lafayette and walk
> about one block east on Houston.
> Directions to Foley Square:
> Rally at Foley Square, (Court district near Lafayette, Centre, Duane &
> Pearl Sts), 4/5/6 to Bkn Bridge-City Hall, J/M/Z to Chambers St, N/Q/R/W
> to Canal).
>
> Friday, December 8th
> OPPOSE THE NEW WAR ON DISSENT!
> Benefit show for targets of the Green Scare!
> Doors at 8:30pm, bands at 9pm, DJ after!
> DUMBA Arts Collective
> 57 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY
> F to York, down the hill towards the water 2 blocks
> For more directions, call DUMBA at (718) 858-4886
> Featuring...
> Indaculture! - Rockaway, NY's reggae, rock and jamband sensation
> Brownbird Rudy Relic! - Acoustic Holler-Blues
> Casa De Chihauhua - Old-Timey Punk
> and Darren Deicide! - Bluesy Punk Roots Music
> $5 at the door
> (Suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds, but, c'mon,
> it's to support prisoners and indictees!)
> Cheap beer, wine, hot cider and vegan treats!
> Learn about the Green Scare and the individuals targeted by this new
> effort to criminalize dissent from speakers and at information tables,
> and, because prison is a lonely place, write to prisoners at a letter
> writing station!
> Proceeds from the show go to benefit the legal funds for our two local
> targets of the Green Scare, Daniel McGowan and Andy Stepanian.
>
> Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
> Anarchist Perspectives: Resisting the Green Scare!
> Saturday, Dec. 9th - 3pm
> At A-Space
> 4722 Baltimore Ave.
> Potluck at 3, discussion to follow
> Come to eat, come to chat, come for the resistance. Hot food, hot topics!
> We'll open with a brief overview of recent government attacks on activist
> groups, a refresher on the basics of "security culture," and understanding
> our legal rights.
> · How can we support Prisoners and Accused Activists?
> · Are we all "terrorists" or "supporting terrorists" now?
> · How do we keep up hope and the fight, despite "the scare"?
> · What is being done and what needs to be done to work in solidarity with
> other targeted communities?
> · You don't have to be an anarchist to join in this conversation
> · Keep your eye out at Mariposa Co-op for the optional reading packets to
> help inform our discussion!
> ( folks who don't have access to the co-op can email
> a-space@defenestrator.org to access the readings in other ways. If we can
> get them electronically we will make them available via email and the web.
> We will also try to have some packets at the A-Space )
>
> Worcester, Massachusetts
> What: The Greenscare Day of Solidarity, Northeast Regional Conference in
> Worcester, MA
> When: Saturday, December 9th, 2006 from 10-3 (snacks/refreshments
> provided, eat a meal before)
> Where: Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester Mass, Atwater Kent Hall
> Why: To raise awareness about the Green Scare and show solidarity with
> those targeted by it.
> The Event is Free
> Contact Marty for more info - mdriggs@gmail.com
>
> Portland, Maine
> thurs.DEC7th. Benefit for Green Scare Defendents.
> @ Sahara Club. 135 Washington Ave. Portland.
> 6pm. all ages. $5-$10. vegan potluck.
> SOMETHING'S WRONG (gritty pop-punk like FIFTEEN from Asheville, NC)
> A PRIMITIVE & SAVAGE LAND (Cedar is so dreamy)
> GIFT OF TONGUES (washed up on the banks of the fore river)
> DWAYNE (young punxxx from scarborough)
> There will also be some sort of teach-in/video showing because it's the
> International Day of Solidarity with Green Scare Indictees the left over
> money will go to them, too.
> Ryan sez: Anyone got any ideas?? I'd like to hear them.
> xrywinx@riseup.net
>
> SOUTH
> (INCLUDING SOUTHEAST AND SOUTHWEST)
>
> Washington, DC
> Thursday December 7 - 7pm
> Vegan Chili Dinner and Film Screening of BEHIND THE MASK Documentary
> $6 to benefit Rod Coronado
> At the Brian MacKenzie Infoshop
> 1426 9th Street NW Washington DC 20001
> 202-986-0681
> dcinfoshop@mutualaid.org
> BEHIND THE MASK: the documentary about people who risk their lives and
> freedom to save animals. (72 Minutes)
> Fundraiser for Rod Coronado
>
> Ft. Lauderdale, Florida (3 events)
> The Florida Prisoner Support Network (FLPSN) will be participating in this
> utterly crucial Day of Action for our persecuted comrades of the new war
> on dissent: The Green Scare. Along with activists throughout the globe we
> are proud to announce:
> Join FLPSN and other local grassroots collectives as we take to the
> streets and speak out against the new American Witch Hunt. Many events are
> planned, so finish your homework, get off work, and bring your voice. We
> are here and we won't go away without a revolution.
>
> Gathering on the Downtown Library Lawn
> WHEN:
> Thursday, Dec 7th
> 2:00 - 3:00 pm
> WHERE:
> Main Library
> 100 S. Andrews Avenue
> Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
>
> Demonstration in Front of the Federal Courthouse
> WHEN:
> Thursday, Dec 7th
> 3:00 - 5:00 pm
> WHERE:
> U.S. Federal Building and Courthouse
> 299 East Broward Boulevard
> Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
>
> Screening of "22/8: The Jeffery 'Free' Luers Story" and "The Lorax"
> WHEN:
> Thursday, Dec 7th
> 8:00 pm
> WHERE:
> Cinema Paradiso
> 503 SE 6th St.
> Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301
> **Please note the day's events will be peaceful and symbolic forms of
> protest so people of all ages should try to attend.
> Contact: flaprisonersupport@riseup.net
>
> Austin, Texas
> Green Scare!: An Evening of Solidarity with Indictees and Political Prisoners
> Thursday, Dec. 7th - 7:30pm
> · Green Scare Puppet Show
> · Know Your Rights!!
> - Presentation by the Austin People's Legal Collective
> · Film about Rod Coronado
> · Discussion/ Q and A period
> At Monkeywrench Books
> 110 E. Northloop
>
> Charlotte, North Carolina (2 events)
> www.myspace.com/reallyreallyfreecharlotte2.
>
> December 7:
> 7:30 p.m. @ 2005 Stratford Ave.
> Join us for a legal rights survey for activists, an eco-prisoner rundown
> and a letter writing party.
>
> December 16:
> Dinner (5:30 p.m.) and a movie (7:30 p.m.) @ 3103 Cullman Ave.
> Join us for a fundraiser to support activists facing prosecution as part
> of the Green Scare. The event is a vegan dinner party with a guest
> speaker and a film screening of Behind the Mask ( a film documenting
> Animal Liberation Front activists, activities, and the difficulties facing
> the current movement). Suggested donation is $10-$25 and nobody will be
> refused.
> Questions: call Andy at 704-607-0653 or reallyreallyfreecharlotte@gmail.com.
>
> Tucson, Arizona
> Saturday December 9 - 8pm
> you can't green scare us !
> The Insurrection Circus
> a benefit for Rod Coronado's legal defense with:
> Genocide Erotica
> Courtney Robbins
> S-cuk Gogs
> Ventriloquism by Sara T
> Revo-lution
> and members of:
> Dragstar Cabaret
> Midriff Crisis
> $5 and up suggested donation
> At Dry River
> 740 N. Main St. @ University
>
> Phoenix, Arizona
> Thursday, December 7 - 6pm
> Greenscare Movie Night
> Earth First! invites you to an evening of...
> Potluck!
> Movies!
> · 22/8: The Jeff Luers Story
> · Behind the Mask
> & Letter Writing!
> Bring a dish to share, an open mind, an active heart, and a ballpoint pen
> to...
> The Tribe
> 2238 N. 24th St.
>
> Durango, Colorado
> Animas SDS, the Fort Lewis College chapter of Students
> for a Democratic Society [http://www.newsds.org/], is
> proud to announce the "Resist the Green Scare" benefit
> event.
> The benefit will be at Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim
> Drive, Durango, CO, in Noble Hall room 130 on
> Thursday, December 7th from 7 to 9:30 PM.
> This event will be a benefit event for the
> NON-COOPERATING Green Scare defendants and Grand Jury
> resisters, and part of an International Day of Action
> & Solidarity with the defendants. Many similar actions
> are taking place across the country and the world [see
> http://www.greenscare.org/call.html]. The event is
> free, with a suggested donation of $5-$100, but no one
> will be turned away for lack of funds. All proceeds go
> to the non-cooperating defendants and grand jury
> resisters.
> We will be screening Pickaxe, a feature-length
> documentary about a direct action forest defense
> campaign. It is a VERY powerful and provocative film.
> We will also be screening two short before the main
> feature, "22/8: The Jeffrey Luers Story" and "Rod
> Coronado - A Voice for Liberation.
> MIDWEST
>
> Minneapolis, Minnesota
> Thursday December 7 - 6pm
> Fight the Green Scare! A Panel Discussion on the Green Scare, the "War on
> Terror", and It's Effect on Communities of Resistance
> Featuring:
> Will Potter - Washington, DC based Journalist who closely follows and
> reports on the SHAC7 and "Green Scare" cases - www.GreenIsTheNewRed.com
> Leslie James Pickering - Co-founder of the Earth Liberation Front Press
> Office, has acted as spokesperson for several high profile ELF actions -
> www.Arissa.org
> Dinner/Letter writing to prisoners 6pm
> Panel begins at 7pm followed by a Q & A
> $10-$25 sliding scale, and of course NO ONE turned away due to lack of
> funds. All proceeds to benefit recent "Green Scare" defendants and
> prisoners.
> At the Jack Pine Community Center
> 2815 E. Lake St.
>
> Milwaukee, WI
> Sunday December 3 - 7pm
> A film screening of Pickaxe to bring attention to the Green Scare and the
> plight of the current defendents who are being charged with new extended
> "terrorist" charges in an increasingly blatantly authoritarian political
> climate intending to pacify effective direct action. There will be
> information before and discussion after the film.
> All films are free and open to the public (but donations are appreciated)
> At the Cream City Collective Community Space
> 732 East Clarke Street
>
> Bloomington, Indiana
> December 7th
> "they may be coming for us in the morning, but that just means we gotta
> dance all night"
> a benefit show in solidarity with green scare prisoners and indictees
> bands: disaster, sweet n saurkraut, ddmf, and bitter homes and gardens
> plus: letter writing table, a drag show of songs from the movie Stonewall,
> yummy food to eat, a DJ, and more!
> admission: as much as your heart desires
> at the well well well house 909 w. 9th street
> contact: efindiana@riseup.net
> december 7th
> starting at 8pm
>
> INTERNATIONAL
>
> Guelph, Ontario (Canada)
> Green is the New Red Scare
> Film screenings of:
> · Behind the Mask - a documentary about the ALF (72 minutes)
> · A Voice for Liberation - a video linking the genocide perpetrated
> against indigenous people to the exploitation of animals, featuring
> indigenous Animal Liberation Front activist Rod Coronado (5 min.)
> This event is in support of the many who are trapped in what is known as
> the 'Green Scare' - the US and Canadian government's attempts to demonize
> environmental and animal rights activists as terrorists. Many people are
> facing decades in prison for alleged conspiracies, sabotage, and simply
> speaking out.
> It is a fundraiser for a group of people known as the SHAC7, who are
> imprisoned for 3-6 years on terrorism charges for operating a website that
> campaigned to shut down a notorious animal testing lab.
> $5-20 suggested donation (no one turned away for lack of funds)
> Guelph Googenheim
> 129-B Woolwich St.
> Contact: healingtheearth@resist.ca
> · close event details ·
>
> Paris, France
> Thursday, December 7
> NO PASARAN and CAP ( Collectif antispéciste de Paris) [Paris
> Anti-Speciesist Collective] have decided to show our solidarity with our
> american friends and against repression. Details forthcoming.
>
> Gent, Belgium
> Thursday, December 7
> What: info eve followed by vegan dinner and café
> Where: at "de Poema"
> When: info at 7pm, dinner at 8pm.
>
> Lausanne, Switzerland
> Thursday, December 7
> What: vegan lunch followed by update/info
> Where: at the University of Lausanne, Café autogeré
> When: 1 pm
>
> Athens, Greece (2 events)
>
> Wednesday, December 6 - 6pm
> Info Session, Discussion and Screenings Against the Green Scare
> At the National Technical University of Athens
>
> Thursday, December7 - 7pm
> Solidarity Gathering at the Propylea of Athens
>
>

Police Decry Web Site on Informants

Nov 30, 8:28 PM (ET)

By MATT APUZZO

WASHINGTON (AP) - Police and prosecutors are worried that a Web site claiming to identify more than 4,000 informants and undercover agents will cripple investigations and hang targets on witnesses.

The Web site, WhosaRat.com, first caught the attention of authorities after a Massachusetts man put it online and named a few dozen people as turncoats in 2004. Since then, it has grown into a clearinghouse for mug shots, court papers and rumors.

Federal prosecutors say the site was set up to encourage violence, and federal judges around the country were recently warned that witnesses in their courtrooms may be profiled online.

"My concern is making sure cooperators are adequately protected from retaliation," said Chief Judge Thomas Hogan, who alerted other judges in Washington's federal courthouse. He said he learned about the site from a federal judge in Maine.

The Web site is the latest unabashedly public effort to identify witnesses or discourage helping police. "Stop Snitching" T-shirts have been sold in cities around the country and popular hip-hop lyrics disparage or threaten people who help police.

In 2004, NBA star Carmelo Anthony appeared in an underground Baltimore DVD that warned people they could be killed for cooperating with police. Anthony has said he was not aware of the DVD's message.

Such threats hinder criminal investigations, said Ronald Teachman, police chief in New Bedford, Mass., where murder cases have been stymied by witness silence and "Stop Snitching" T-shirts were recently for sale.

"Every shooting we have to treat like homicide. The victim's alive but he's not cooperative," Teachman said. "These kids have the idea that the worst offense they can commit is to cooperate with the police."

Sean Bucci, a former Boston-area disc jockey, set up WhosaRat.com after federal prosecutors charged him with selling marijuana in bulk from his house. Bucci is under house arrest awaiting trial and could not be reached, but a WhosaRat spokesman identifying himself as Anthony Capone said the site is a resource for criminal defendants and does not condone violence.

"If people got hurt or killed, it's kind of on them. They knew the dangers of becoming an informant," Capone said. "We'd feel bad, don't get me wrong, but things happen to people. If they decide to become an informant, with or without the Web site, that's a possibility."

The site offers biographical information about people whom users identify as witnesses or undercover agents. Users can post court documents, comments and pictures.

Some of those listed are well known, such as former Connecticut Gov. John G. Rowland, who served 10 months in prison before testifying in a public corruption case. But many never made headlines and were identified as having helped investigators in drug cases.

For two years, anyone with an Internet connection could search the site. On Thursday, a day after it was discussed at a courthouse conference in Washington, the site became a subscription-only service. The site has also disabled the ability to post photos of undercover agents, Capone said, because administrators of the Web site do not want officers to be hurt.

Authorities disagree. In documents filed in Bucci's court case last month, federal prosecutors said they have information that Bucci set up the Web site to help intimidate and harm witnesses.

"Such information not only compromises pending or future government investigations, but places informants and undercover agents in potentially grave danger," Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter K. Levitt wrote.

While prosecutors haven't pointed to a case where a witness or officer was harmed because of the Web site, it has been used to shatter an undercover agent's anonymity. After Hawaiian doctor Kachun Yeung was charged with distributing narcotic painkillers this spring, a surveillance picture of an undercover Drug Enforcement Agent was posted on the site.

Federal prosecutors said they traced the posting to the University of Hawaii newspaper's photo department, where the doctor's son was a photo editor. The posting identified the names of three agents and described one as "a known liar and a dirty agent. He is an absolute disgrace to the American justice system."

Prosecutors in Boston have discussed whether WhosaRat is protected as free speech but have not moved to shut it down. In 2004, an Alabama federal judge ruled that a defendant had the right to run a Web site that included witness information in the form of "wanted" posters.

Earlier this month, federal judges from Minnesota and Utah urged their colleagues to be careful about how much information about witnesses is released in public files, noting that they could end up on WhosaRat.

Steve Bunnell, chief of the criminal division at the U.S. attorney's office in Washington, said the rules of evidence already require authorities to identity witnesses to the people most likely to harm them: the defendants. Most of the documents labeled "top secret" on the site are really public court records or information copied from other Web sites, he said.

His concern is that the site disparages the reputation of people who come forward to help solve crimes.

"We don't make those high-level gang and drug organization cases without somebody on the inside telling us what's going on," Bunnell said.